Apparatus for metal working



y 1933- J. SCHMELLER, SR 1,917,856

APPARATUS FOR METAL WORKING Filed March 31, 1930 INVENTOR. Ja/m Sc/zme/Aw;

A TTORNEYS Patented July 11, 1933 UNITED srares PATENT OFFICE JOHN SCHMELLER, sa, or 'rennwoon, onro', nssreivoa "r SGHMELLER HOLDING COMPANY, or" o nvn enng 01110, A CORPORATION or 011110 I APPARATUS r03- METAL wonKING Application filed :March 31, 1930. Serial No. 440,506.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 252,738, filed February 8, 1928. This invention, as indicated, relates toan apparatus for metal work ing. More particularly it comprises an apparatus adapted to puddle molten masses of metal particularly light, readily oxidizable metal such as aluminum, and the like, and to eliminate the oxides and impurities therefrom and to produce a higher quality ofprod uct than is possible without such special treatment. The apparatus is particularly suited for reworking secondary aluminiferous-raw materialisuchas discarded castings, sheets, '45 and scrap aswell as borings, turnings, skimmings, and the like. The invention is particularly suitedto the handling of finely divided aluminum which is commingled with dirt and impurities of various kinds inasmuch as through the mechanical treatment of the mass, the oxides are broken up and sub stanti'ally eliminated and the impurities including percentages'of free 11011 are freed from the massof the product and floated en trapped with oxides and foreign matter upon the surface of themolten mass whence they may be readily removed by skimming. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and re-' lated ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detall certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting,however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing i Fig. 1 isa partially diagrammatic central vertical sectionalview of a furnace embodying the principles of my invention; and Fig. 2- is a side elevation of the furnace shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the-left hand side of said view. l5

- forms but basin view aimilti chambered furnace such as is described in my application above mentioned, wherein there are two chambers in communication through a narrow passageway adjacent (their base, and

Thepresent apparatus may take various f wherein one chamber serves as a heating and casting chamber, and the other chamber serves as a melting and puddling chamber.

I In the form shown inthe drawing, the fur* nace 1 has a melting and puddling chamber 2, ll communicating through a narrow .passageway 3, adjacent itsbottom with aheating and casting chamber 4. The furnace chamber 2 is of somewhat elliptical cross-section, the

floor 5 of the furnace beingformedv upon a 6B,

radius to provide a curved surface extending. transversely of the furnace structure. Over the base portion of the furnace which merges" with the side walls'thereof, a curved roof 6 is provided, said roof being formed with a Half- 65, 1

row central transverse slot 7 extending from a point slightly beyond the center at one side across the other side of the furnace and connecting at that point with an opening 8' in the sidewall. The'slot is very narrow and 70, the heat losses are very small, but it maybe covered,if desired, when thefurnaceis' in operation. At the opposite side of thefure nace, a somewhat similar opening 9 is prO- vided, said last-named opening being adapted for the feeding of material to the melting and puddling chamber. 'Each of the, openings is adapted to be closed by doors 11, 12, formed of suitable heat-resisting material such'as fire brick held in asuitablemetallic 8@ frame and preferably suspended upon cables 13, 14, having a 'suitable counterweight (not shown).-"v

Above the center ofthe furnace on each side of the slot through the roof, upstanding bosses 15, 1,6, are positioned, which provide bearings for a pivot bar lfupon. which the I supporting rod 18' of theagitatingmember is -mounted. f f p v The agltating rod'is provided at its upper endwith an elongated slot 19 adaptedto' be engaged by an actuating piniQl projecting outwardly from-a belt 22 mounted upon a pair of wheels 23, 24:, suitably supported above thefurnacerstructure, and adapted to 5 I be driven continuously in a direction transversely of the bar. Through the engagement of the pin 21 through the slot 19, the movement of the belt will produceqa continuous sweep of the lower end ofthe bar across the curved bottom portion of the furnace chamber. The lower end of the bar carries a rigid bers provided with a series of transverse apertures 27 and are loosely mounted upon the crossarm by means of pivot pins 28 engaged through aperturedextensions 29 on the grids, so as to readily assume an angular position with relation to the material in thebottom of the furnace chamber. The grids thus operate from a position above the surface of the molten metal in the furnace chamber through the mass of metal in a direction toward the bottom thereof-and are drawn upwardly on the opposite side of themetal bath toa corresponding position above the level of the metal upon that side. Thus, between the periods of the submerging of the grids in the molten metal, the grids are lifted clear of the metal bath, and are permitted a brief period .for cooling prior to being drawn again through the molten metal. Asthe grids engage the metal they will be inclined on their pivots so that the metal will be pressed in a direction downwardly toward the base of the furnace and such angular relation to the base is maintained as the grid is emerging from the'mass at the opposite side. As the agitating member is moved in the opposite direction, the grids will be automatically turned .on the pivots in the reverse direction so that the material again will be forced against the bottom of the furnace chamber.

The furnace is adapted to be heated through the casting chamber 4 byany suitablecharac'ter fuel preferably oil or gas burners placed within said chamber adjacent the side portions thereof and suitably water jacketed to prevent preheating of the fuel supply. The .raw material supplied to the furnace for treatment ordinarily includes a large quantity of borings and turnings which are usually saturated with greases and oils so that such material supplies a blanket of reducing gases above the molten metal in the puddlingchamber as well as a portion of the vfuel necessary for the maintaining of the bath ina molten condition. H'owever,-most of the heat in the puddling side'of the chamber is supplied through the interchange of metal with the casting chamber which is directly heated by the'gas or oil burners, as stated.

Through the action of the grids in sweepng through the molten metal within th'e-agi tating chamber, the metal will be sub-divided into a plurality of substantially separate streams which will be brought against each other at an angle as they emergefrom the respective grids andjthe impact of these streams and their interaction upon each other will serve to assist in rupturing the oxide coatings about-"the particles of metal which it is sought to recover. The disrupting of the oxide skins or envelopes is a matter of some difficulty when the metal treated is aluminum. The oxides of aluminum are of slightly less specific gravity than the molten metal and tend to rise slowly to thesurface, but this difference is not a great one and through the action. of this apparatus the oxides are carried toward the bottom of the molten metal bath'and are subjected to the heating action of the pure metal in the base of the furnace about the separated individual oxide particles so that a high degree of heat is applied to each individual enclosed particle of metal and with the violent agitation of the mass this high degree of heat makes possible the separation of the oxides and foreign matter from the aluminum particles and a very high degree of recovery of the aluminum from the materialused as the source. This material as stated preferably is secondary aluminum such as discarded castings, sheets and scrap, of every character, as well as borings, turnings and skimmings. The borings and turnings usually carry a very large percentage of oils and greases and this material may be mixed with skimmings which are free of oil and grease and thus form a raw material supply which carries its own fuel in large degree.

It will be noted that through the construction of the slotted roof communicating with one of the openings in the outside walls, and the proper positioning of the pivot point for the grid, it is possible to disconnect the pin from the slot on the rod and independently swing the rod a distance sufficient to move the grids outside of the furnace chamber for purposes of inspection and-repair.

- Other modes of applying'the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and'distinctly claim as my invention:

1; An apparatus of the character described having in combination a furnace chamber having a'receptacle for molten metal at the base thereof formed on a predetermined radius of curvature, a roof portion adapted to mounted and adapted to swing to an angular position in each direction of motion.

2. An apparatus of the character described havingin combination, a furnace chamber having a receptacle for molten metal at the terminal element adapted to move to an an gular position in each direction of motion.

3. An apparatus of the character described having in combination a furnace chamber having a receptacle for molten metal at the base thereof formed on a predetermined radius of curvature, a roof portion adapted to confine reducing gases above the molten metal in said furnace base, an agitating member pivotally associated with said roof portion and adapted to be moved upon a corresponding radius of curvature to said base portion and in uniformly spaced relation thereto, means spaced from the roof portion of said furnace, a slot at the upper end of said agitating member, a rotating belt positioned above said roof portion of the furnace, and a pin carried by said belt and engaging said slot for continuously moving said agitating member back and forth through said furnace 0 chamber.

l. An apparatus of the character described having in combination a furnace chamber having a base portion providing a receptacle for molten metal and formed, upon a predetermined radius of curvature, an'agi ating member mounted to movethrough said chamberonsubstantially the same radius of curvature, an opening at the side of said chamber and through the roof of said furnace through which the agitating member may be swung with its lower end clear of the furnace structure. I

5. ran apparatus of the character described having in combination a furnace chamber having a floor for molten metal at the base thereof, having straight parallel side walls and a bottom portion of greater length than width formed on' a predetermined radius in a lengthwise direction, a roof portion adapted to confine reducing gases above the molten metal in said furnace base,'an agitating memher having an open grid having narrow clearance from said side walls, a pivoted support for said grid positioned above said furnace base and means for traversingsaid grid in uniformly spaced relation to the floor along substantially the entire length thereof and above the highest portion thereof at a part of each traverse.

Signed by me this 29th day of June, 1929.

JOHN SCHMELLER, sR. 

